Allen apologizes for 'macaca' moment

George Allen apologized Friday for using the term “macaca” to describe a campaign tracker during his losing 2006 campaign.

“You don’t brood over mistakes. You learn from ‘em and you improve,” the former Virginia senator, running to reclaim the seat, told hundreds of social conservatives at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington. “And during my last campaign, I never should have singled out that young man working for my opponent, calling him a name. He was just doing his job. I was wrong to do that to him, and it diverted our campaign away from the real issues that families care about.”

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Allen said his father, a football coach, taught him to get back up whenever he got knocked down.

“It’s not an easy decision to run for public office,” he said. “I did not like losing. I’ve learned though that sometimes you can learn more from losing than you do from winning.”

Allen also told conference-goers that his Jewish grandfather had been imprisoned by Nazis during World War II. His mother had concealed that part of his identity from him.

“This revelation, though, really did bring our family closer together,” Allen said. “For me, the core principle of freedom of religion was no longer just a matter of enlightened Jeffersonian philosophy. It became deeply personal in so many ways.”

Allen tried to present his Jewish ancestry as a political asset that helped him become more tolerant of other minorities.

“Now learning all of this made me even more sensitive and more committed than ever to the principle of religious freedom and the dignity of every person, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or religious beliefs,” he said. “It reinforced my belief that when injustice — whether anti-Semitism, racism or repression — arises, leaders must deplore it. Otherwise people will think it’s condoned or acceptable.”

Allen stressed throughout his speech that his “macaca moment” provided him an opportunity to reflect on his career and the direction of the country.

“My family had to endure a lot of taunts and insults because of my mistake, and I never want to have them have to go through something like that again,” Allen said. “Ladies and gentleman, these last five years have given me the opportunity to reflect on all that’s happening in our great country.”

Allen lost to Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) in 2006. Webb announced in February that he will not seek reelection, setting up a possible clash of the titans between Allen and former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine. Allen didn’t mention Kaine during his speech. But Allen, also a former governor, cast himself as an outsider eager to fix what’s broken with Washington.

“Friends, it is time for an American comeback,” he said. “2012 is our generation’s rendezvous with destiny.”